Hasbro Pokemon Master Trainer 2001 Board Game

It's an interesting phenomenon when the rule book for a movie's spin-off game is more elaborate and engaging than the script or production values of the movie itself. Yet that's exactly the case with the Pokémon Master Trainer game--based on the phenomenal-in-their-own-right Pocket Monsters of TV and cinema renown. In this colorful and involved retooling of myriad battle card games in which dice are rolled to determine characters' "special powers," aspiring trainers travel around the tri-paneled board and assemble their personal Pokémon platoon of POG-like discs that nestle into the board's indentations. Each disc represents one of 150 characters from the incredibly bountiful cast, and each is numbered with their Attack Strength and Power Point rating. By "Catching," "Trading," and "Fighting" their ever-changing roster, players attempt to reach Indigo Plateau with enough bonus strength to engage one of four Pokémon Masters in a final battle for victory. The rules are such that players aged 7 years and up will probably have their noses in the booklet for the first little while (the Evolution Bonus, which increases Attack Strength when certain combos of Pokémon are collected, rewards those familiar with Jynx and Jolteon's genealogy); others may want to keep the illustrated game box lid handy. Come to think of it, the lid is better drawn than the movies are.